The Inadequacy Of Being A Conservative

Senator McCain, the Republican nominee for President, is now attempting to reintroduce his and his family's military service on the campaign trail, attempting to show that he is better qualified to be President versus whomever the Democrats nominate.  Conservatives, like McCain and Bush, like to think they are tougher than their opponents on national security and protecting America.  They feel inadequate, so they try to work on the fears of the people and cry wolf.  Any American who desires to be President should have the wisdom and character to keep fear out of the campaign. 

 

The tragic event of 9-11 befell the U.S. while the conservatives were talking tough, and after seven years we still have not won the war on terror; bin Laden is still free to plot more attacks, all while George Bush, a conservative, is Commander-in-Chief. That should be a stalk reminder that trying to talk tough does not get the job done.  Most people who served in the military on active duty do not feel they have to exploit their service by trying to act tough, rather they use that experience to come up with sensible solutions to present to the American people.  

 

Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy were all combat veterans and served their country during the Cold War, but did not campaign on their service record; did not campaign on fear; nor were they critical of their opponents ability to protect our country during a crisis.  They spoke to all the issues facing the country, because they knew we faced more problems that did not require military solutions than those that did.  Today, some of our leaders and hope-to-be-leaders focus on military action above all else, and try to create an atmosphere of fear for society to live in.  In contrast, those three Presidents tried to educate the people that the only thing we had to fear was fear itself.

 

The country today has many major problems that need sound policies to deal with, and that are not involved with military solutions or tax breaks for the wealthy.  Conservatives do not have policies; they only have an ideology that calls for a military or tax solution.  The nation's current problems have not been addressed or solved because of this ideology for the past 8 years, or in the Reagan-Bush 41 administrations for that matter.  Conservatives are now scrambling around to patchwork the economy and the financial mess we have---a mess we have because of their lack of policy.

 

Senator McCain is silent when it comes to the debt that the last three conservative Republican presidents piled on our country and its people, for which we are paying for today.  He continues to go along with the fail policies regarding Iraq and Afghanistan.  He has now abandoned his past policy, and lines up with George Bush for more tax cuts for the wealthy.  The bottom line: Senator McCain and his tough military talk will not be an asset in over coming the Conservative's inadequate feelings, or getting himself elected President. 

Republican Presidents = Disaster for Taxpayers

Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush lacked/lack a real economic and fiscal policy and brought/bring financial disaster to our country and its people.  Under Reagan, the Savings and Loan Industry collapsed and the federal government had to bail them out to the tune of $100 billion, which was, of course, paid for by the taxpayers.

 

Now under George W. Bush, the mortgage and financial industry has collapsed.  The housing market has been devastated and foreclosure is at an all time high.  And now one of the largest firms on Wall Street, Bear Stearns, has been taken over by J.P. Morgan that was engineered by the federal government with a $30 billion loan.  The concern, we are told, was a possible meltdown in the financial market and a run on Bear Stearns trading commitments. 

 

Make no mistake about these two huge problems under Reagan and Bush.  They are the direct result of the conservative ideology that corporate America will police itself and that no oversight is needed.  It's also the result of corporate America being in bed with conservative Republicans.  They know if a problem arises, these so called conservatives will bail them out with taxpayers' money.

 

All of this and a economy that is going south, declining jobs, and the price of oil continuing to rise at record levels.  The stock market is going south and guess who has the money to buy up stocks when they go down. Yea, you are right, the people who control wealth.

 

In my three part series, The U.S. Economy: Which Party Performs Best, it was pointed out how Reagan, Bush 41, and Bush 43 had/have no economic policy and how their reckless deficit spending has put our country at risk. These three Presidents have put the country and its people in so much debt, we may not be able to recover.  The U.S. is now in a financial meltdown.  Greed and Conservatism go hand and hand.

 

George W. Bush spoke before the New York Economic Club last week concerning the state of the economy.  He showed his ignorance concerning the economy and what is taking place in America today.  This nation and its people must elect a Democratic President in November.  If our fiscal house is not put in order soon, we may witness something more than a depression.  That will not be pretty. 

 

Don't expect any conservative Republican to reverse the policies of these three presidents.  Has anyone heard any Republican talk about the massive debt? They are silent.  The only candidate I have heard talk about going back to fiscal responsibility is Senator Clinton.  Journalists are so full of hype and caught up in the primaries, they fail to talk about the real issues that face and affect the taxpayers.  Lou Dobbs is supposed to be an economic genius, but when is the last time any one heard him talk about deficit spending and debt created by the last three republican presidents?  So much for the people who are supposed to be looking out for America. The American people need to start looking out for themselves by electing leaders who know how to solve this mess.  

Click here for Part I of The U.S. Economy: Which Parties Performs Best

Click here for Part II of The U.S. Economy: Which Parties Performs Best

Click here for Part III of The U.S. Economy: Which Parties Performs Best

Senator McCain: Appeasing the Conservative Base

Now that Senator McCain seems to be on the verge of wrapping up the Republican nomination, he is setting out to appease the holier than thou conservatives and the conservative base. 

 

It is noticeable that McCain and the conservatives never talk about being an American.  One would think after hearing their rhetoric that the constitution mandates the nominee and/or President to be a conservative. 

 

It would be wise if the American people remember, especially since we are in an election year, that America has enjoyed the following on the Democratic watch:  (1) A safer America; (2) The greatest economy; (3) The greatest job creation; (4) The best fiscally sound administration with budget surpluses; (5) The lowest unemployment rate in 30 years; (6) The lowest crime rate in 40 years; (7) The largest paydown on the national debt; (8) Better control of federal spending; (9) lowest inflation rate; (10) Protection of the people's privacy and the list goes on and on.

 

Democratic Presidents have accomplished those things that conservatives only talk about.  Why?  Because Democrats put America and its needs first.  America is the Democratic ideology.  Phony conservatism is the Republican ideology and it's sad that McCain is now sucking up to them.  

Conservatism: The Ugly and Unamerican Ideology

In the four years I spent on active duty in the Marine Corps, I was not asked one time if I was a liberal or conservative.  Yet we all shared the same thing and looked after and took care of each other.  We all served our country at a very young age and I am proud to be a Korean War Veteran.  We were "always faithful" to our motto and each other.  Being an American and a Marine was the only ideology. 

 

I worked for over 45 years in the business world and not once was my job or life affected by my political beliefs.  I can say the same thing about my life outside military service and work place.  But now, politicians have changed all of that, why?  The simple answer is political greed, and make no mistake, it started with the neoconservative administration of Ronald Reagan.  Ever since then Republican candidates have tried to paint themselves as the good guys and everyone else, the bad guys, especially liberals.  They have tried to change the meaning of patriotism when others do not share their ideology.  They have even stooped to the low of accusing people who do not always wear an american flag on their coat as unpatriotic. 

 

How did the people of this great country get suckered into this conservative ideology that is meant to divide us?  If the american people were impressed with facts, they would turn off this ideology tomorrow.  But people seem to go with the flow.  If some one in my Marine outfit or in my working career took the attitude that his ideology was better than any one else's, he would have not lasted long at all. 

 

Too many Americans have forgotten the good life we have lived as Americans and have bought into ideology as a substitute for being an American.  All one has to do is listen to what the Republican candidates running for President are saying.  "No one else is fit to serve in the office," that is the thrust of their speeches.  They can't even bring themselves to embrace the ideals that America has stood for since the beginning.  They even try to out do each other as to who is the most conservative.  That really gets to be a laugh.  The cure is very simple. Get a life and be an American first.  Come down off your high perch, you may like it here on earth, and you just might remember the days when ideology took a back seat in the real world.  Those were the days when much was accomplished.

 

If conservative politicians and candidates really want to do something for their country and fellow man, prove it by your deeds, tap into the real spirit of America and let go of your phony "holier than thou" attitude.  You will find it is better to have an American ideology than a phony conservative ideology.

 

Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, and Ford described themselves as conservatives, but never did they themselves proclaim a "holier than thou" attitude in their political campaigns.  They spoke to the issues facing the country.  I just wish the candidates these days would speak to the issues, but that seems unlikely.  

10/21 GOP Debate Thoughts

Well I must admit, aside from a few things, I was pleasantly surprised with tonight's Republican debate. I think the moderators did several of things I talked about earlier----pointing out that McCain runs better against Hillary in General Election polls than Rudy and giving Huckabee adequate time to showcase his credentials to be president.

Huckabee was the star of the debate. He got in quite a few good one liners and was funny, charming and looked as if he was the only major GOP candidate who would be able to put America ahead of his party. McCain also had a good night. Whether you agree or disagree with his positions, and I do disagree with them, you must admit McCain is an honorable guy who says what he means and means what he says.

I was disappointed that the moderators didn't press Giuliani on what makes him supposedly so experienced on foreign policy. I think McCain tried to bring up the fact that he is more experienced than Giuliani, but the moderators failed to follow up. I think its crucial, for this country's future, to point out that, on many issues, Rudy is simply a fraud. That was my first out of two major complaints about the debate.

My second complaint is, yet again, that Ron Paul got no respect for the other candidates, and especially the crowd in attendance. I can understand if they do not agree with his policies (which, by the way are the best of all the GOP candidates'), but to boo Paul is just rude and unnecessary. It shows the character of those GOP voters in attendance. I don't care what conservatives say about us liberals, we are polite and give candidates, regardless of whether or not we agree with them, respect.

Here are a few of my other thoughts: It is a shame that Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter, and Tom Tancredo probably only got 10 minutes combined. The moderators would rarely go to them with questions and that is just not fair to voters who haven't made up their mind. They are essentially being denied, by the media, an opportunity to hear from certain people. I'll also say Fred Thompson performed slightly better than last time, but still far from great. He has a serious problem getting his point across and just comes across as sloppy. Rudy did okay. My problem with him is that he makes things up as he goes along. Last debate he said Romney raised taxes (Romney actually lowered taxes considerably); tonight Rudy said that he wasn't like Hillary on abortion, gun control, and gay issues. Well in fact, Rudy is indeed just like Hillary, if not even more liberal, on those issues. And finally, Mitt Romney continues to do well. He did a good job tonight defending his "flip-flops" and he definitely made an attempt to win over the Christian Right. He, even more so that Huckabee, flaunted his conservative credentials. Now whether or not his positions are genuine is a different story, but Romney did do an excellent job of making himself look like the most socially conservative candidate tonight.

So here are my rankings:
1. Mike Huckabee----the most charming candidate and the one who best connected with the audience
2. John McCain------his "straight-shooter" attitude, along with flaunting his foreign policy experience, made this one of McCain's best debate performances
3. Mitt Romney------he continues to make the case for why he is a true conservative, and it worked tonight
4. Rudy Giuliani-----for some reason beyond my comprehension, he is a favorite among the crowd and (sadly) does a good job at fooling them into believing he is someone he is clearly not
5. Ron Paul---------his anti-war message might have been unpopular with the audience tonight, but as anti-war sentiment grows among moderate Republicans, Paul's performance proves why he is their candidate
6, 7, 8: Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson---I didn't even get to hear enough from Tancredo and Hunter to rate them, but I do know that Thompson still performed far below expectations and his poll numbers will continue to show that these poor debate performances are having a negative effect

So there are my thoughts. If anyone saw the debate, I would love to hear yours.

The True Conservative Republican?

The week has only just begun, but the battle of words is already in full swing. What we have this time is a sort of four-way argument between Rudy, Romney, McCain, and Thompson on who is the true conservative in the race. The battle stems from a comment Romney made, stating that he is the only candidate that represents "the Republican wing of the Republican Party". This, along with the rest of his speech, was an obvious jab at Giuliani. Romney consistently challenges Rudy on his liberal social positions, his illegal immigration positions, and his multiple wives, citing that he(Romney) is a "family man" while Rudy is not.

Yet after Romney's comments about being from "the Republican wing of the Republican Party", another candidate jumped in the mix. Sen. John McCain's campaign responded with the following:

"Mitt Romney actively worked to defeat the Republican candidate trying to reclaim my old congressional seat. Therefore, I'm amazed that Romney would claim to represent the Republican wing of the Republican Party -- because when Romney had a chance to contribute to a New Hampshire Republican, he chose to fund a liberal New Hampshire Democrat instead."

McCain has also been bringing up Romney's change of position on issues such as abortion, essentially branding Romney with the stereotypical "Massachusetts-liberal" label.

And then, of course, we had to get the "new Reagan", Fred Thompson, to join in on the fun. Fred brought up that he "was a conservative Republican in the Senate, (he) is a conservative Republican today, and will be one as President." Fred also stressed that he is the only "true Republican" in the race.

The truth is, there is no ideal, true conservative in the race among the frontrunners. Giuliani is a pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-gay rights, pro-illegal immigration Republican. Romney was a pro-choice Republican until his "revelation" that came just in time for the 2008 election. McCain's most questionable past issue was his recent attempt at immigration reform where he was accused of being "pro-amnesty". Even "the Reagan conservative" Thompson is not as strict of a conservative as many would like. He is divorced, married to a trophy wife, he has stated that he doesn't go to church, and he has lobbied for pro-choice groups.

What strikes me as odd is that you have all these Republican voters who say they aren't happy with their choice of candidates because there is no "true conservative" or "true Republican". But the truth is, there are "true conservatives" and "true Republicans" in the race. Mike Huckabee is extremely conservative and there is nothing questionable about him from his past. Possibly the most conservative candidate is Ron Paul. He is very conservative on all social issues, he is a fiscal conservative, he wants smaller government, AND he embodies the good old Republican ideal of non-interventionism when dealing with foreign countries who don't pose a threat to the U.S. My point: There are real choices for Republican voters so I don't know why they complain when they have everything they want right in front of them.